


Prepare for trouble, make it double

by triggeringthehealing (froggydarren)



Series: FullmoonFiclet Entries [13]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Doppelganger, M/M, Spark Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-16 16:25:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4632048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froggydarren/pseuds/triggeringthehealing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles' spark has grown stronger since high school, and now that he's being trained properly by Deaton, the world of magic is wide open to his experimentation. And if he can't do something for certain pack members, what good is his magic in times when the rest of the world seems at peace?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prepare for trouble, make it double

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aredblush](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aredblush/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Cuddle Stileswich](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/138627) by aredblush. 



> Written for the Full Moon Ficlet challenge on Livejournal, [prompt #134: derivative](http://fullmoon-ficlet.livejournal.com/341860.html)
> 
> The fic is also inspired by [this drawing](http://aredblush.tumblr.com/post/127010058582/cuddle-stileswich-as-requested-by-froggydarren) from the lovely [Nas](http://aredblush.tumblr.com/). The coloured version is at the end of this fic.

_It's good for practice_ , Stiles tells himself as he's collecting the ingredients for the spell he came across. He's been training with Deaton for almost two years now, since his spark became stronger. Deaton insisted on training him because of several incidents when Stiles' magic spiraled out of control in battles. Sure, at the time the extra boost was useful, it came as a surprise to not only the pack but also their opponents, and it bought the pack time that ultimately helped them all to make it out of whatever danger they were in.

But when Beacon Hills settled into balance again, it became clear that Stiles would need guidance and a way to exhaust his increasingly strong pool of magical energy. That was why Deaton started teaching him spells, potion mixing, and handling of things way beyond the occasional mountain ash circle.

Somewhere in all that Stiles grew closer to Derek, without either of them consciously moving towards the other.   

He knows how Derek broke up with Braeden when the relationship ran its course, and how -- despite being happy about having had a relationship that didn't result in pain for him or anyone in the pack -- it still stung that it didn't last. He knows that Derek often visits the site of the old Hale house, though there's nothing there but a new, growing forest. He knows that Derek spends a fortune on calls to Cora, and that he has visited Peter in Eichen House.

Stiles knows that Derek enjoys pack time more than he'd ever admit out loud. Sure, it took all of them a while to adjust to peaceful nights -- board game nights excluded, considering Lydia and Stiles' competitive nature.  When they finally settled enough to stop being awkward around each other, they even started puppy piles and pack cuddles. And Stiles knows all too well how much Derek loves those. He told them once how his family used to do that: the whole pack in the living room, watching a movie that was appropriate even for the littlest ones, all of them on a pile of mattresses and cushions on the floor. It's on those nights that Stiles finds himself gravitating towards Derek, wanting to give him all the hugs he can manage to make up for the years when Derek didn't get the physical contact that his wolf side -- and probably also his human side -- needed.

But Stiles is in college, so he's not around as often as he'd want to be. Which is the reason for his current experimentation with a spell he came across while researching something else -- there was a creature that took on the pack's members appearances, and Deaton had Stiles look into how it was achieving it. While he was doing that, he stumbled upon an old text from England that talked about creating substitutions of various things through magic. The creature they were chasing didn't seem to have the full derivative abilities beyond its appearance, so Stiles didn't spend too much time on that particular spellbook.

Once they figured it out and dealt with it, he found himself drifting back to the spell though. He went back to the book and read the instructions and notes enough times that he had it memorized. The reason he looked into it was why he consulted Deaton -- Stiles wanted to know if a spell that was primarily used to replace inanimate objects would work on people. Deaton did help adjust the spell, after he quizzed Stiles on why exactly he wanted to know and -- neither of them questioned whether it was Stiles' aim -- try it out.

Now that Stiles has the correct wording, knows it by heart, and has all the ingredients necessary, there's nothing stopping him from trying. In the end, the execution is a bit of a disappointment -- there are no big visual effects or explosions when he says the incantation, only a bit of smoke -- but the result, he has to admit, is pretty satisfying. It's also a little creepy, because he's looking at _himself_.

His copy -- he's _not_ calling him Stiles 2.0, nope -- is silent, and Stiles knows he'll stay that way. The spell does make S-two tangible, but it doesn't make him completely sentient, which Stiles is grateful for. It's weird enough to see him making movements Stiles isn't, unlike a reflection in the mirror. The doppelganger does have just enough sentience to move where he's directed to, so Stiles tugs on his hand to lead him upstairs into Derek's loft. He's glad that he chose the space that Derek allocated for training -- magical and physical -- in the same building as his own loft, because the thought of driving across town and getting stopped by the Sheriff or one of the Deputies might bring questions Stiles isn't ready to answer.

"Derek?" Stiles calls out when they reach the door to the loft.

There isn't an answer, which doesn't really surprise him because usually Derek hears him coming up the stairs and opens the door before Stiles can knock. It's not locked now, though, which is a little worrying. Stiles slides it open, and S-two follows him inside. Even though it's been a year since Derek came back for good and renovated the place, it's still a little surprising every time to see it clean, the remnants of any previous destruction almost gone.  Some things didn't change -- the staircase in the corner, the big desk by the window, and the bed tucked next to the new wall built to replace the hole that was once there.

Stiles knows that it's not where Derek sleeps -- well, unless they're in the middle of strategizing and no one wants to leave the loft -- but it's around for impromptu sleepovers. He leads S-two over to the couch, and decides to go check out the kitchen, just in case anything _is_ wrong. Nothing seems out of place though, so he figures they will hang around and wait for Derek, since he can't have gone far. Before Stiles makes it back into the main area, the door opens with a loud noise and Derek's voice rings through the loft.

"Hey Stiles! Were we supposed to meet?" Derek asks, obviously assuming that S-two is actually Stiles.

There's no answer from the couch, Stiles rushes out of the kitchen -- he knows that anything out of the ordinary is likely to set Derek into panic mode -- and skids to a halt next to his doppelganger.

"Heyyyy Derek," he says cheerfully, though he doesn't miss the glint of blue in Derek's eyes, nor the emerging claws.

"What the… _Stiles_ , what?"

"Yeah, sorry, I can explain?" Stiles blurts out, the sentence a question more than anything else.

"That would be nice, yes," Derek grunts. "There are _two of you_. How?"

Stiles fidgets, and looks sheepishly on the floor for a moment. It's been quite some time since the whole Nogitsune thing happened, but now that they're all here, he realizes that Derek could've done with a warning about his plan.

"I'm sorry," he rushes to explain. "It's _temporary_ , I swear, it's a spell that I've worked on with Deaton after the whole thing with the shapeshifter last month," he says, but barely looks at Derek as he talks. "We… no, I found this one when I was researching, and I thought…"

"That we needed a reminder of there being an extra _you_ , only…" Derek growls.

"No, not _that_ , and I'm sorry I didn't warn you about this, but I wasn't sure it would work the first time," Stiles says, and he throws Derek an apologetic look. "But you were the first one I wanted to show, because… well, because."

Derek doesn't say anything, but Stiles thinks he can see the frown easing off a little. It might be wishful thinking on his part, and he's not the one with the well-practiced puppy eyes like Scott's.

"So, was this just one of your exercises in magic?" Derek finally asks, his eyebrows still scrunched into a frown. "Because I can think of at least twenty other possible options of what to duplicate instead of yourself. Ones that wouldn't bring back traumatic memories."

"I _am_ sorry about that," Stiles says sheepishly. "I didn't consider that properly. I just… it wasn't just _anything_ to practice my magic on, I… this spell was what I wanted to do, and I really hoped it would work, and now it did, but it's kind of awkward which I also didn't consider because I'm an idiot…"

He knows he's rambling, and it's not until he can feel the warmth of Derek's palm on his arm that Stiles realizes that Derek walked closer. When Stiles turns his eyes from the floor -- he was drilling holes into it with his gaze while he was attempting to explain himself -- he can see that Derek's frown is almost gone, and a slightly amused expression is in its place.

"Stiles, calm down," Derek tells him, his voice quiet. "Why did you think one of you wasn't enough?"

 _Because I can't be here for you all the time_ , Stiles thinks. The thought alone makes his cheeks heat up, even though he doesn't say it out loud. It's not like they are anything but friends, even though Stiles has been harboring a crush on Derek since… well, since the first time they met him after Scott got bitten. And, if he's completely honest with himself, even then he remembered Derek from before, from the time before the fire, before Derek and Laura had left to New York. Sure, it was not a crush then, Stiles was way too young for that kind of attraction, but he knew who Derek was, had looked up to him in ways he had never acknowledged properly.

"It's just," he starts, still blushing, "I have noticed that you kind of enjoy the pack nights, you know, when we all pile up on cushions to watch movies. And with the pack away half the time, I thought that maybe you missed that, a little. So I thought, even if none of them are around… and it's just _me_ , and that's not really the same thing, and not enough for a proper puppy pile… and I know it's still me only twice, but I thought you could ignore that part and there'd still be two of us…"

" _Stiles_ ," Derek whispers, and he follows the word with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I… it's only temporary, he'll only be around for like, a day. I'm not entirely sure how long, the notes were kind of sketchy on that part. But he doesn't talk, so that's already an improvement on _me_ ," Stiles rambles on, his eyes closed now because Derek is so close that he can't look down on the floor like earlier.

"That's… _fuck_ , Stiles," Derek blurts, and his grip on Stiles' arm tightens a little, but not in a way that would make Stiles worried. He doesn't sound angry either, more… fond, and that's something Stiles' brain can't compute.

"You made a copy of yourself, so you can _cuddle_ me?" Derek says after a moment, like he's trying to wrap his mind around the thought.

That's exactly what Stiles did, but he can't bring himself to admit it. The way Derek said it, it seems crazy, and admitting it would probably open up floodgates of other confessions. Or at least it would give away feelings that Stiles is afraid to acknowledge, not when he has no idea how much they could damage the friendship.

"No one has ever done anything so…" Derek starts, but he pauses before he finishes the thought, which leaves Stiles' mind reeling with the possible conclusions to it.

 _Insane, infuriating, stupid, unwelcome, foolish_ , his brain rolls out words one after another, and he tries to take a step away from Derek. An escape plan starts forming in his head, a way to get out of the loft _with_ his doppelganger, and avoid Derek until he leaves for college again.

"No, don't," Derek says as he grabs Stiles' other arm and pulls him closer. "You're… _thank you_."

Of all the possibilities, the words that roll off Derek's tongue are ones that Stiles didn't even remotely consider. He's still waiting for the lecture, for the anger to kick back in, but what he gets instead is Derek pulling him into a hug unlike any others they've shared before. It's warm, instantly comforting, and -- if Stiles is honest with himself -- shocking. Because Derek doesn't hug anyone from the pack like that, and he definitely does not hug Stiles this way.

"No ripping throats out?" Stiles mumbles against Derek's shoulder, wondering if he's dreaming, or if Derek's gone crazy.

"No," Derek answers, follows it with a chuckle and then he pulls away to look into Stiles' eyes. "That would kind of defeat the purpose of this," he adds and nods towards the Stiles copy still sitting on the couch.

"So you're… okay with that?" Stiles asks, his voice trembling with a combination of worry and excitement, because he's letting himself hope a little that the cuddling might actually happen.

"It's _weird_ , because honestly, one Stiles should be enough for the entire universe," Derek says, and laughs at Stiles' attempt to look offended. "But _your_ hugs are my favorite."

"Oh," Stiles manages to say, unable to stop himself from considering all the implication of Derek's statement.

"Come on," Derek says, not elaborating on his words any more, and tugs Stiles towards the bed in the corner.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Derek says with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. "Does the … you… _please_ tell me you didn't call him Stiles 2.0… does he…"

"I did _not_ ," Stiles protests weakly, because he only considered that option _once_. "S-two," he admits sheepishly, and then he revels in Derek's responding laugh. "I have to, he doesn't _think_ , but he'll follow us, I think?"

The doppelganger does just that, and it seems like he understands what they aim is as they reach the bed, and Derek sits on the edge. Stiles hesitates for a moment, and then he throws himself onto the soft covers. Derek shuffles over, and lies down facing Stiles, then they both look over to see S-two crawling on the bed behind Derek. They lie there for a while, unmoving, until Derek sighs, reaches for Stiles' hand and tugs him closer. It takes a little more shuffling and adjusting, but soon S-two is basically glued to Derek's back, arms and legs wrapped around him like an octopus, the way Stiles has imagined being plenty of times before.

"He… I… he sort of has some of my thoughts, I guess," Stiles whispers when Derek raises an eyebrow at the doppelganger's position.

"Thought about this a lot, have you?" Derek asks, clearly amused.

Stiles feels the heat in his cheeks, but it only makes Derek smile more. He pulls Stiles closer until their legs are tangled together, but neither of them makes a move to separate their hands.

"Thank you," Derek says once they're settled, and Stiles can feel the softness of Derek's lips against his forehead. "But for the record, one of you is all I need."

"Noted," Stiles responds, and he's unable to hold back the giddy grin anymore.

"Next time," is the last thing that he can hear Derek say before the warmth of the cuddles lulls him to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> rebloggable [on tumblr](http://triggeringthehealing.tumblr.com/post/127334581654/prepare-for-trouble-make-it-double)  
> 


End file.
